The University of Ilorin will confer degrees and other academic qualifications on 16,152 graduands at its 41st convocation ceremony for the 2025/2026 academic session, with 365 students graduating with first-class honours.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), announced the figures on Monday during a press briefing ahead of the ceremony, which will run from Wednesday, October 21, to Friday, October 23.
According to Egbewole, 11,213 students will receive first degrees, including 4,367 second-class upper division graduates, 5,102 second-class lower division graduates, 1,006 third-class graduates and 30 pass-degree recipients.
He said the graduating class also included students from several professional programmes, with 19 in Medicine and Surgery, 89 in Nursing, 73 in Pharmacy, 41 in Optometry, 89 in Physiotherapy and 32 in Veterinary Medicine.
The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that “4,939 graduands would receive higher degrees and diplomas, comprising 160 postgraduate diploma recipients, 901 master’s degree graduates, 114 professional master’s degree recipients, two Master of Philosophy graduates and 251 doctorate degree recipients”.
Another 3,511 students, he said, would graduate through the university’s Centre for Affiliated Institutions.
In a separate programme, Egbewole said 8,320 students had completed the university’s U-INSPIRE initiative, which equips participants with 21st-century skills in addition to their primary qualifications through partnerships with 10 industry partners.
He described the figures as evidence of the university’s commitment to academic excellence, professional training, research, innovation and the development of skilled graduates for national and global development.
Reflecting on his administration, Egbewole said the convocation provided an opportunity to assess the institution’s progress since he assumed office on October 16, 2022, and consider the legacy being prepared for the next vice-chancellor.
“When I assumed office as Vice-Chancellor on 16 October 2022, my first convocation ceremony was for both the 37th and 38th. I came into office with a clear commitment: to build on the strong foundations laid by my predecessors, preserve the University’s defining strengths, and move the institution forward with renewed ambition,” he said.
“Four years on, as we prepare for the 41st Convocation, I do so with gratitude to Almighty Allah and a deep sense of fulfilment. This is not simply a review of activities; it is an account of steady, substantial progress and of the institutional capacity, opportunities, and responsibilities we will bequeath to the next Vice-Chancellor, as a legacy,” he added.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university had maintained its tradition of stability, academic excellence and peace while making improvements in digital infrastructure, staff and student welfare, research, teaching and learning, campus facilities and external partnerships.
He added that the institution’s development strategy remained anchored on its Vision 1:10:500 ambition of becoming Nigeria’s number one university, ranking among Africa’s top 10 and securing a place among the world’s top 500 universities.
“The 41st Convocation is therefore both a celebration and a moment of reflection. It gives us an opportunity to recognise what we have accomplished, acknowledge the people whose work made it possible, and identify the foundations on which we can build the next phase of progress,” Egbewole said.
On the ceremony’s activities, the Vice-Chancellor announced that the convocation lecture, titled From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership, would be delivered by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, on Friday, October 23, at 9am.
He disclosed that the university would stage its convocation opera, The Death of the Crown’s Escort, at the Performing and Film Arts Theatre on Tuesday, October 20, with performances scheduled for 4 pm and 6 pm.
According to him, graduands from four-year programmes would receive their degrees on Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, while those from five-year and six-year programmes would be presented for their degrees on Friday, October 23.
Egbewole further disclosed that President Bola Tinubu, the university’s Visitor, was expected to commission completed projects on the campus at 2.30 pm on Friday.
The day’s programme would also include a convocation luncheon and merit awards for deserving members of staff at the university’s Multipurpose Hall at 4.30 pm.
The activities, which commenced with a special Jumat service on Friday, October 16, and an interdenominational church service on Sunday, October 18, will end with a thanksgiving service at St Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy on Sunday, October 25.