19-year old emerges best graduating student as JABU graduates 481

A 19-year-old Oluwagbemiga Akinseye has emerged the best graduating student of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji (JABU), Osun for the 2021/2022 academic session.

Akinseye’s name was announced at the 13th convocation of the university on Friday, with Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.87.

The best graduating student, in his reaction, said that his driving force was to please his parents for paying so much as his school fees.

“My initial motivation was fear. I went to a public secondary school before I gained admission to JABU, where I started paying N500,000.

“I decided to brace up so that I will not waste my parents’ money,” he said.

Akinseye said that he would go further in his field of study to become a chartered accountant and financial expert.

Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Olasebikan Fakolujo, stated that 30 students bagged First Class Honours.

He said that the students cut across the five colleges of the institution, adding that a total number of 481 students graduated in the current academic session.

Fakolujo further stated that 88 post-graduate students also graduated in 15 various fields of study.

According to him, 179 students bag Second Class Honours (Upper Division) while 210 Second Class Honours (Lower Division), with 59 and three students in the Third Class Honours and Pass categories respectively.

He said that five more academic courses were accredited in the year under review by National Universities Commission (NUC).

The vice-chancellor added that the security network of the university had been further strengthened to ensure safety of students and staffers.

According to him, the university has witnessed tremendous transformation in recent years, urging parents and guardians to bring their children and wards to the institution for quality education.

Also speaking, Chairman of the institution’s Board of Trustees, Pastor Olusegun Oladele, said that the vision of the university’s founding fathers was to produce intellectuals with spiritual inclination that would impact the world positively.

Oladele, who is the President of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), said that JABU was not just a higher institution but a crucible, in which men and women of character, integrity and enterprise were formed.

He commended the assiduousness of the institution’s management and staffers, in spite of the challenges they were facing.

Oladele urged the graduands to imbibe good characters in their education, saying that learning without character would always end in disgrace.

According to him, success is a journey rather than a destination; a process and not a product, asking the graduands to be diligent and aim higher.

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Prof. A. M Imevbore, tasked the graduands to build on the good foundation they had had and be good ambassadors of the institution.

Imevbore asked the Federal Government to extend the funding of universities and TETfund’s review to private universities, as they also contributed immensely to all sectors of the economy.

It was reported that the university conferred a honorary doctoral degree in Entrepreneurship on Elder Remi Olowookere.

Others were: Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele and Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, who both bagged honourary doctoral degrees in Public Administration.