41st Convocation: UNILORIN To Graduate 16,152 With 365 First Class
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) in Kwara State will graduate 16,152 students at its forthcoming 41st Convocation ceremony, with 365 undergraduates earning first-class honours and 8,320 additional students completing a skills- development programme designed to prepare them for the demands of the modern workplace.
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he Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, SAN, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing at the University Auditorium, Ilorin, where he outlined the graduating figures, institutional achievements and activities scheduled for the Convocation.
According to Egbewole, the graduating students comprise 11,213 first-degree recipients and 4,939 higher-degree and diploma recipients, reflecting the institution’s continued commitment to academic excellence, professional training, research and innovation.
According to him, 4,367 gradiands are expected to receive Second Class Upper Division degrees, while 5,102 will graduate with Second Class Lower Division. Another 1,006 students will receive Third Class degrees, while 30 will graduate with Pass degrees.
The graduating class also includes students from professional programmes, comprising 19 Medicine and Surgery graduayes, 89 Nursing graduates, 73 Pharmacy graduates, 41 Optometry graduates, 89 Physiotherapy graduates and 32 Veterinary Medicine graduates.
The Vice-Chancellor said the University will also confer 160 postgraduate diplomas, 901 master’s degrees, 114 professional master’s degrees, two Master of Philosophy degrees and 251 Doctor of Philosophy degrees, adding that
another set of 3,511 students from the university’s Centre for Affiliated Institutions will receive their qualifications.
Beyond conventional academic qualifications, Egbewole disclosed that 8,320 students had completed the university’s U-INSPIRE programme, which equips participants with 21st-century skills in addition to their primary qualifications.
He said the programme’s skills framework was developed locally and delivered in partnership with 10 industry partners to improve students’ readiness for employment and entrepreneurship.
He added: “One of the programme’s graduates, Toyibah Abiodun Abdullateef of the Department of Science Education, designed the logo for the 41st convocation ceremony.”
The Vice-Chancellor described the graduating students’ achievements as evidence of the dedication of students, academic and non-academic staff, parents, guardians and other stakeholders who contributed to their educational journey.
He said the University will remain committed to producing graduates capable of making meaningful contributions to national development and the global knowledge economy.
Egbewole also highlighted several institutional achievements recorded during the 2025/2026 academic session, which commenced on September 25, 2025, and ended on September 18, 2026.
Among them was the university’s recognition at the sixth National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Award organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), through which it received N25 million for its role in promoting compliance with admission regulations.
The institution also expanded its campus transportation system with the addition of compressed natural gas-powered buses and electric tricycles to ease students’ movement within the University.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, five CNG buses and 20 electric tricycles were commissioned in January 2026, while seven additional CNG buses were subsequently added, bringing the total number of the buses to 12.
He further announced that UNILORIN won the 2025/2026 Responsible Futures Fee Waiver Grant from the International Association of Universities, becoming, according to the association, the first Nigerian university to receive the award, adding that the grant supports efforts to promote sustainability within the University communities.
In research and infrastructure, Egbewole disclosed that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund approved a N1 billion intervention for equipment upgrades in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, adding that the university’s Department of Microbiology also received scientific equipment valued at approximately N100 million under the XSTAR Project Nigeria.
According to him, the University is strengthening its industry partnerships, including discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on establishing a Centre of Excellence for practical engineering and technology-driven research, as well as an endowed professional chair.
The Vice-Chancellor also highlighted the institution’s achievements in professional education, noting that a UNILORIN law graduate, Israel Adekunle Adeniyi, emerged as the best graduating student at the Nigerian Law School in 2026, while 15 other graduates of the university’s Faculty of Law obtained first-class results in the Bar Final examinations.
The institution, he added, also produced four new Senior Advocates of Nigeria in 2026: Adebisi Emmanuel Adeniyi, Adebayo Folorunsho Ologe, Akorede Habeeb Lawal and Mohammed Adelodun.
In another achievement, Egbewole said the university’s engineering students recorded podium finishes across all award categories at the 2026 Committee of Deans of Engineering and Technology of Nigerian Universities Students’ Competition, a feat Egbewole described as a historic milestone in engineering education.
He added: “The University also continued to expand its national and international collaborations through partnerships with institutions in Pakistan, China and other countries, alongside agreements with Nigerian tertiary institutions and professional organisations.
“As part of the convocation programme, the university will host a lecture titled ‘From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership’ on Friday, October 23.
“The lecture will be delivered by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, at 9 a.m. at the university auditorium.
“The convocation opera, titled ‘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 conferment of degrees on graduates of four-year programmes will hold on Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, while graduands from five-year and six-year programmes will receive their degrees on Friday, October 23.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the university’s Visitor, is expected to commission a completed project on the campus at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by a convocation luncheon and merit awards to deserving staff members.
“The ceremonies will conclude with a thanksgiving service at St. Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy on Sunday, October 25.”
Egbewole said the 41st convocation also offered an opportunity to assess the institution’s progress over the past four years and consolidate the achievements recorded during his administration.
He noted that the university’s long-term ambition remained anchored on its Vision 1:10:500 aspiration: to become Nigeria’s number-one university, rank among Africa’s top 10 and secure a place among the world’s top 500 universities.
“These ambitions require continuity of purpose, evidence-led decisions, responsible stewardship of resources and a collective willingness to keep improving,” he said.
He added that the institution’s achievements should be viewed as part of a continuing process that requires successive administrations to build on existing foundations.
“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,” the Vice-Chancellor said.
He urged members of the University community, alumni, industry partners and other stakeholders to sustain their support for the institution’s development.
The Vice-Chancellor also appealed to journalists to report the university’s achievements accurately, describing the convocation as a celebration of academic accomplishments, institutional progress and the contributions of the University community to national development.
