286 bag first class as ABUAD graduates 2,194 students

A total of 286 students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) bagged first class honour, as 2,194 graduated from the institution at its 14th convocation.

The institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, in her welcome address on Wednesday, said the graduating class comprised 1,759 undergraduates and 435 postgraduates students.

Olarinde said the university in 2026, was ranked first in Nigeria for the fifth consecutive year, second in Africa and 72nd globally in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, with a score of 90.8 percent, making it the only Nigerian university in the global top 100.

“Academically, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria increased ABUAD’s Medicine and Surgery quota from 200 to 250 and approved 25 slots for Dentistry.

“The university also secured full accreditation for Sociology, Human Nutrition and Dietetics (93.6%), Computer Science and Geology, as well as favourable accreditation for postgraduate Accounting and Business Administration.

“Through an MoU with Zhejiang Polytechnic University, China (ZUME), 37 Engineering students and two professors had three weeks intensive training in Intelligent Manufacturing and Control Technology.

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“Another group had a 28-day study programme in Changchun, China, while the King’s College London partnership secured four places for ABUAD students in its 2026 Summer School.

“Other collaborations include a Digital Twin Laboratory with Shenzhen University and a six-month industrial training for 20 Aeronautical Engineering students with United Nigeria Airline,” she said.

“In research, ABUAD deployed a High-Performance Computing (HPC) facility in November 2025 for genomic and AI research, implemented Turnitin for all academic staff, and had 8 academics listed among the world’s top 2 percent scientists by Stanford-Elsevier,” she said.

The vice chancellor announced Chukwurah Richard of the Department of Computer Engineering as the Overall Best Graduating Student for the 2025/2026 session.

“Richard recorded a perfect Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.00 and received a N10 million cash prize donated for the second consecutive year by agribusiness entrepreneur and ABUAD alumnus, Olasunkanmi Owoyemi,” she added

Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti, in his remarks, paid tribute to the university’s founder, Aare Afe Babalola, for his dedication to human development and contributions to society.

Oyebanji also acknowledged the founder’s support for the Ekiti State Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, including funding for control tower equipment and a 100-car parking facility.

He urged the graduads to remain creative, adaptive and pragmatic, stressing continuous learning and skill acquisition in an artificial intelligence-driven age.