41st CONVOCATION CEREMONIES
A week of glory, grandeur, and gratitude
*16,152 total graduands; Kid prodigy shatters record with 5.0 CGPA; Admonitions for graduands, kudos to UNILORIN by leaders
The University of Ilorin once again lived up to its billing as it rolled out drums in grandeur for its 41st Convocation Ceremonies between Friday, 16th to Sunday, 25th October, 2026. The University campus, usually known for its clean and green ambience, was particularly beautifully adorned in its signature colours for the special occasion.
Apart from the Main Auditorium, which sat about 2000 people, including graduands, guests and top University officials, other venues used for the three main days of the convocation proper were the Multipurpose Hall, where the proud parents of graduands were seated, and the Marquee beside the Auditorium, where students who could not be accommodated in the main Hall sat. The beautiful thing was that whether one sat inside the Main Auditorium, the Multipurpose Hall, or under the Marquee, nobody missed any piece of the action as the event inside the Auditorium was beamed live to all guests and even those who were not on campus on those days. Indeed, everybody in any part of the world got connected seamlessly to what was happening on the University campus throughout the convocation days, all thanks to the meticulous planning and clinical execution by the Ceremonials Committee, led by Prof. Adegboyega Adisa Fawole, a renowned clinician, consummate consultant paediatrician, and former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University.
What began with prayers ended with praises, as the University celebrated 16,152 graduands, sustained intellectual excellence and remarkable institutional progress. Of the graduands, 11, 213 bagged their first degrees (365 First Class, 4,367 Second Class Upper, 5,102 Second Class Lower, 1,006 Third Class and 30 Pass graduates.), 4,939 higher degrees and Diplomas, comprising 160 Postgraduate Diplomas, 901 Master degrees, 114 Professional Master degrees, two Master of Philosophy degrees and 251 Ph.D. degrees. Also in the pack were 3,511 graduands from the University’s affiliated institutions.
The ceremonies commenced on Friday, 16th October, 2026 with a Special Juma’at Service at the University Central Mosque followed by an Interdenominational Service on Sunday, 18th October, 2026 at the Chapel of the Light. Both services sought divine guidance for a hitch-free celebration.
The intellectual curtain-raiser was the Vice-Chancellor’s Press Briefing and Media Chat on Monday, 19th October, 2026, at the University Auditorium. At the media engagement with members of the elite UNILORIN Accredited Press Corps, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, announced the programme run-down for the 41st Convocation Ceremonies, officially releasing the total number of graduands, and award winners. He also dwelt substantially on the various landmark achievements made by the University during the 2025/2026 academic session.
On Tuesday, 20th October, the Performing and Film Arts Theatre came alive with the staging of the Convocation Play, titled “The Death of the Crown Escort”, written by Dr Abdulmalik A. Amali, and directed by Prof. AbdulRasheed Adeoye. It was performed in two sessions, the Command Performance for University top shots and the other session for the general public. The drama, set in a fictional Odu community in Idoma land of Kogi State, was not just entertainment for the fun of it but a pithy commentary on inter-generational cultural conflict caused by apprehension over the adoption of new practices.
Then came the convocation proper, which kicked off on Wednesday, October 21, with graduands from the Faculties of Education, Agriculture (Home Economics), Communication and Information Sciences, Environmental Sciences (Architecture), Social Sciences, and Institute of Education taking the centre stage.
On Thursday, October 22, it was the turn of the Faculties of Arts, Basic Medical Sciences, Life Sciences, Management Sciences, and Physical Sciences, which gave the University the Overall Best Graduating Student in person of Olusegun Francis Joseph of the Department of Mathematics with a perfect 5.00 CGPA.
On Friday, October 23, the grand finale featured the Convocation Lecture by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Hon. Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, titled “From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership.” She charged leaders to lead with substance, purpose, and evidence, stressing the need to build people and institutions that will outlast them. It was an enthralling and captivating moment, as the youthful and highly cerebral lecturer held the audience spell-bound with her enchanting delivery.
The Convocation Lecture was followed immediately by the convocation of graduands from the Faculties of Agriculture, Basic Clinical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences (Optometry), Law, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine and Postgraduate School. The Day also featured Award of Prices.
The star of the ceremony was Olusegun Francis Joseph of the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Physical Sciences, who emerged Overall Best Graduating Student with a historic perfect 5.00 CGPA, the first of its kind in history of the University.
As is usual on solemn occasions like this, speeches were made by leaders, academic and political, with admonitions and felicitations running through all. From the Visitor, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University’s Governing Council, Surv. Abiodun Jacob Aluko, and the Chief Host himself, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, the speeches touched on topical national issues as well as UNILORIN-specific issues of particular concerns.
In his speech, the Visitor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, told the graduands to go beyond seeking employment by creating jobs, embracing innovation and using their knowledge to solve problems and serve humanity, pointing out that “in a world increasingly shaped by digital technology and Artificial Intelligence, I encourage you not only to seek employment, but also to create it. Become innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and problem solvers.”
On his part, the Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON, represented by his Deputy, Elder Kayode Alabi, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to education as a strategic pathway to sustainable development.
In his goodwill message, the Governor commended the University of Ilorin for maintaining high academic standards, particularly its recent ranking as Nigeria’s top institution for research quality, and charged graduands to “deploy their knowledge with integrity, creativity and discipline” and to see their degrees “not merely as a pathway to employment but as a platform for creating opportunities and developing solutions.”
Also in his speech, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, UNILORIN Governing Council, Surv. Abiodun Jacob Aluko, hailed the University as a leadership factory and thanked President Tinubu for sustaining TETFund and NELFUND. He, however, passionately appealed for more research funding, saying, “No nation can develop beyond the level of research conducted in its universities.”
In a remarkable demonstration of his well-known erudition, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Egbewole delivered three different speeches, one to each set of graduands on each of the three days event! On the first day, he told the graduands of the four-year programmes that their degrees rest on three investments – Parental, Institutional and Self-investment – and charged them to justify the sacrifices of their parents and investments in their education by becoming agents of positive change.
In the address, titled “Let This Investment Count”, Prof. Egbewole urged the graduands to translate their academic knowledge, professional skills, and personal values into practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges, including unemployment, insecurity, inadequate healthcare, food insecurity, and declining moral standards. He charged them to “go out into the world and provide solutions.”
In his speech on Day 2 of the Convocation, titled “What Next”, the Vice Chancellor charged the new graduates of the institution to step confidently into the world and demonstrate that they possess three essential attributes, which include certification, competence and character.
And on Day 3, the Vice Chancellor charged the new graduates of the University to be direct and deliberate in their journey in life and flow with the mantra “Forward Ever”, as he titled the speech.
The ceremony ended with project commissioning, Convocation Luncheon and Staff Merit Awards, while another Special Jumaat Service and Thanksgiving Service held on Friday, 23rd October and Sunday, 25th October at the University Central Mosque and St. Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy, respectively.
A post-mortem review of the 41st Convocation Ceremonies would not be complete without a mention of the fantastic job done by the Ceremonials Committee, the chaperon of the week-long event. Through thick and thin, the Committee, led by Prof. Fawole, delivered a world-class event that would continue to be the talk of the town until next year’s October when the 42nd edition of the annual academic ritual would be held. The Committee deserves commendation on the fantastic organisation, especially the innovative three-day initiative for the event that used to be held on one or two days previously. This well thought-out initiative substantially accounted for the absence of traffic gridlock throughout the ceremonies. No wonder, the Vice Chancellor, who is not known to be too generous with praises, had very kind words for the Committee, in his reaction to the successful outcome of the ceremony.
In a commendation letter, sent to the Committee Chairman, and signed on his behalf by the Registrar, Prof. Egbewole noted the efforts of Prof. Fawole and other members of the Committee in effectively “coordinating the convocation programmes, strictly adhering to the approved schedules and maintaining the dignity, as well as decorum of the occasion, which contributed immensely to its overall success.”
Indeed, the 41st Convocation was better by far in all ramifications.
