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Sola Rotimi
The University of Ilorin has announced that a total of 16,152 students will graduate during its 41st Convocation ceremonies, with 365 graduands earning First Class Honours for the 2025/2026 academic session.
Addressing newsmen on Monday at the university auditorium ahead of the events scheduled to run through October 25, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, disclosed that the institution will confer First Degrees on 11,213 graduands, while 4,939 others will receive higher degrees and diplomas.
Giving a breakdown of the undergraduate performance, the Vice-Chancellor stated that 4,367 students obtained Second Class Upper Division, 5,102 graduated with Second Class Lower Division, 1,006 earned Third Class degrees, and 30 graduated with Pass degrees.
The graduating class also includes professional candidates comprising 89 nursing graduates, 89 physiotherapy graduates, 73 pharmacy graduates, 41 optometry graduates, 32 veterinary medicine graduates, and 19 medical graduates.
Prof. Egbewole explained that the higher qualifications consist of 901 Master’s degrees across various faculties, 251 Doctor of Philosophy degrees, 160 postgraduate diplomas, 114 professional Master’s degrees, and two Master of Philosophy degrees. He added that an additional 3,511 students will graduate through the university’s Centre for Affiliated Institutions.
Highlighting the institution’s emphasis on graduate employability, the Vice-Chancellor revealed that 8,320 students were graduated under the U-INSPIRE skill acquisition programme executed in partnership with 10 industry organizations. He noted that one of the participants, Toyibah Abiodun Abdullateef of the Department of Science Education, designed the official logo for the 41st convocation.
”The graduating students are evidence of the university’s sustained commitment to academic excellence, professional training, research and innovation,” Egbewole said, commending staff, parents, guardians, alumni, and partners for their contributions to the achievements.
Reviewing key institutional developments during the session, Egbewole announced that UNILORIN secured a ₦1 billion intervention from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund for equipment upgrades in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, alongside a ₦25 million merit award from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board for compliance with admission guidelines. He added that the university attained full National Universities Commission accreditation for 11 academic programmes, won the International Association of Universities’ 2025/2026 Responsible Futures Fee Waiver Grant, and expanded campus transit with 12 compressed natural gas buses and 20 electric tricycles.
The Vice-Chancellor also celebrated notable achievements by UNILORIN alumni and undergraduates over the past year. Israel Adekunle Adeniyi, a graduate of the Faculty of Law, emerged as the overall Best Graduating Student at the Nigerian Law School, leading a cohort of 16 UNILORIN law graduates who earned First Class honours in the Bar Final examinations released in April 2026. Furthermore, four alumni were elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, while three undergraduates secured a combined ₦150 million under the Federal Government Students Venture Grant competition.
”The 41st Convocation is more than a celebration of academic accomplishments. It is also an opportunity to take stock of the progress made over the past four years, which has greatly impacted our society, and to pass the legacy to the next administration,” Egbewole stated.
Emphasising the institution’s long-term goals, he reaffirmed UNILORIN’s Vision 1:10:500 aspiration, which aims to solidify its position as Nigeria’s top university, rank among Africa’s top 10, and break into the top 500 universities globally.
”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 added, calling on stakeholders to sustain cooperation and urging the media to accurately project the institution’s story of “resilience, innovation, excellence and continuing progress.”
Outlining the schedule of activities, Prof. Egbewole said convocation events began with a special Jumat service on Friday, October 16, and an interdenominational church service on Sunday, October 18. A command performance of the university’s opera production, “The Death of the Crown’s Escort,” will take place on Tuesday, October 20, at the Performing and Film Arts Theatre.
Conferment of first degrees for four-year programmes will hold on Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, while graduands in five- and six-year programmes, alongside higher degree recipients, will be awarded on Friday, October 23. Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, will deliver the convocation lecture titled “From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership” on October 23, followed by project commissioning by the Visitor to the university, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The week-long ceremony will conclude with a thanksgiving church service at St. Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy on Sunday, October 25.
