…Varsity to honour Cavista Holdings chairman, two others as 286 students bag first-class degrees
By Rotimi Ojomoyela
ADO-EKITI — The Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, will receive honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from two foreign universities as the institution prepares to graduate 2,194 students at its 14th convocation ceremonies.
Trinity Western University, Canada, and Trinity International University, United States, will confer the honours on Babalola during the grand finale of the convocation scheduled for October 21, 2026.
The Vice-Chancellor of ABUAD, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, disclosed this on Wednesday at a press conference to announce activities for the university’s 14th convocation, scheduled to run from October 14 to 21.
Olarinde said the honorary degrees recognised Babalola’s contributions to legal scholarship, educational innovation, philanthropy, social development and leadership.
She said the international recognition underscored the impact of his investments in education and institution-building, as well as his longstanding commitment to public service.
In a related development, the university will confer honorary Doctor of Letters degrees, honoris causa, on three Nigerians: the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo; Chairman of Cavista Holdings, John Olajide; and business leader, Dr. Rosemary Osula Mku-Atu.
The vice-chancellor said the awards were intended to recognise the recipients’ contributions to society and provide graduating students with examples of how professional accomplishments could be matched with service to humanity.
According to her, Okonkwo will be honoured for his contributions to enterprise, philanthropy and the advancement of quality, functional education.
Olajide will receive the award in recognition of his investments in enterprise and support for healthcare, education, poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment, while Mku-Atu will be recognised for her commitment to supporting the less privileged and promoting quality education.
Meanwhile, 2,194 students are expected to graduate at the convocation, making the Class of 2026 the largest graduating cohort since the university commenced academic activities in January 2010.
Of the total, 1,759 students completed undergraduate and professional programmes, while 435 are graduating from postgraduate programmes.
The postgraduate figure comprises 359 students from the College of Postgraduate Studies and 76 from the ABUAD Business School’s postgraduate programmes.
Olarinde disclosed that 286 graduands obtained first-class degrees, while 824 earned second-class upper degrees.
Another 234 students obtained second-class lower degrees, while 29 graduated with third-class degrees. The remaining graduands completed professional or postgraduate programmes to which the conventional undergraduate degree classifications do not apply.
The vice-chancellor also announced that Okonkwo would deliver the convocation lecture titled, “Functional Education and the Nigeria Project: Strategic Human Capital Development for National Renewal”.
She said the topic was relevant to Nigeria’s development needs, particularly the importance of an education system that equips graduates with knowledge, character and practical skills to create value, solve problems and contribute to national development.
Olarinde said the honorary degrees for Babalola further highlighted the international recognition of his commitment to institution-building and service to humanity.
“His insistence that education must solve problems and improve society is reflected in our teaching, professional training, research, farms, industrial park, the ABUAD Multisystem Hospital, community engagements and international partnerships,” she said.
She noted that the university’s graduating class had grown from 103 students at its inaugural convocation in 2013 to 2,194 in 2026.
Addressing the graduands, Olarinde said their certificates carried both honour and responsibility, urging them to uphold competence, discipline, ethical conduct and integrity in their professional and personal lives.
“The value of your education will be measured not only by the positions you occupy, but by the problems you solve, the people you serve and the integrity with which you conduct yourselves,” she said.
She stressed that investment in universities was essential to national development, noting that education played a critical role in healthcare, food security, technology, enterprise, public administration, security and national stability.
The vice-chancellor reaffirmed the university’s commitment to developing graduates equipped with knowledge, practical skills and sound moral values to create opportunities and serve their communities.
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