From Taiye Joseph Ilorin
The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State, will graduate 16,152 students at its 41st convocation ceremony, with 365 undergraduates earning first-class honours in the 2025/2026 academic session.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, SAN, disclosed this on Monday, during a press briefing at the university auditorium, Ilorin, where he highlighted the institution’s academic achievements, research breakthroughs, infrastructure development and strategic partnerships.
According to him, 11,213 graduands will receive first degrees, while 4,939 others will be awarded higher degrees and diplomas.
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Of the first-degree graduands, 4,367 obtained Second Class Upper Division, 5,102 earned Second Class Lower Division, 1,006 graduated with Third Class, while 30 obtained pass degrees.
The university will also graduate students from several professional programmes, including 19 Medicine and Surgery graduates, 89 Nursing graduates, 73 Pharmacy graduates, 41 Optometry graduates, 89 Physiotherapy graduates and 32 Veterinary Medicine graduates.
The higher degrees and diplomas category comprises 160 postgraduate diploma holders, 901 master’s degree recipients, 114 professional master’s degree holders, two Master of Philosophy graduates and 251 PhD recipients. Another 3,511 students will graduate through the university’s Centre for Affiliated Institutions.
Beyond the regular academic programmes, Egbewole said 8,320 students had also completed the university’s U-INSPIRE programme, which equips participants with additional 21st-century skills through partnerships with 10 industry organisations.
He disclosed that Toyibah Abdullateef, of the Department of Science Education, a member of the 2026 U-INSPIRE graduating cohort, designed the logo for the 41st convocation ceremonies.
The Vice-Chancellor said the graduation figures reflected the institution’s commitment to academic excellence, professional training, research, innovation and the production of skilled graduates capable of contributing to national and global development.
He also used the briefing to highlight some of the university’s achievements during the 2025/2026 academic session, which commenced on September 25, 2025, and ended on September 18, 2026.
Among the achievements, he said, was UNILORIN’s recognition at the sixth National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Award organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), where the institution received N25 million for its contribution to compliance with admission regulations.
The university also expanded its campus transportation system with the introduction of compressed natural gas buses and electric tricycles to ease movement within the institution.
According to Egbewole, the university initially commissioned five CNG buses and 20 electric tricycles on January 2, 2026, and subsequently added seven more CNG buses, bringing the number to 12.
He further announced that UNILORIN won the 2025/2026 Responsible Futures Fee Waiver Grant from the International Association of Universities, becoming, according to the university, the first Nigerian institution to receive the award, which promotes sustainability in higher education.
On academic quality assurance, the Vice-Chancellor said 11 programmes secured full accreditation following an exercise conducted by the National Universities Commission in November 2025.
He added that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund awarded the university a N1 billion high-impact intervention for equipment upgrades in its Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
The institution also received scientific equipment valued at approximately N100 million for its Department of Microbiology under the XSTAR Project Nigeria.
In another development, the university’s Central Research Laboratory was selected to participate in a national baseline study on lead-analysis capacity in Northern Nigeria, in collaboration with relevant research organisations.
Egbewole also highlighted the achievements of UNILORIN graduates and students in professional and international competitions.
Among them was Israel Adekunle Adeniyi, a law graduate who emerged as the 2026 best graduating student at the Nigerian Law School. Fifteen other graduates of the university also earned first-class honours in the Bar Final examinations released in April 2026.
The university also produced four new Senior Advocates of Nigeria in the persons of Adebisi Adeniyi, Adebayo Ologe, Akorede Lawal and Mohammed Adelodun.
In research and innovation, the Vice-Chancellor cited the achievements of students who secured a combined N150 million under the Federal Government Students Venture Grant competition, with each of the three beneficiaries receiving N50 million for their respective project proposals.
He also disclosed that UNILORIN hosted the 37th annual conference of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities in August 2026, attracting more than 105 vice-chancellors and heads of tertiary institutions from across the country.
On collaborations, Egbewole said the university had strengthened partnerships with local and international institutions, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi, Pakistan, and the League of Tropical Universities.
He said the partnerships were designed to promote research, professional training, staff and student exchanges, innovation and industry-driven academic programmes.
The Vice-Chancellor also announced that the university had continued to benefit from alumni contributions, including a N5 million sustainable water supply project donated by the 2001 graduating class of the Department of Engineering and a N3 million inverter solar power system donated by former Students’ Union president, Engr. Ridwan Adebisi.
He said these contributions demonstrated the importance of sustained cooperation between the university and its alumni in improving campus facilities and supporting academic activities.
Egbewole described the 41st convocation as more than a celebration of academic accomplishments, saying it offered an opportunity to assess the institution’s progress over the past four years and prepare for the transition to a new administration.
He added that the university’s achievements included strengthened institutional systems, improved facilities, expanding research and innovation, increased partnerships and the production of talented graduates.
According to him, the institution’s progress would depend on continuity, responsible management of resources and the collective commitment of staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders.
He urged the university community to sustain its pursuit of the institution’s Vision 1:10:500 aspiration, which seeks to make UNILORIN Nigeria’s number-one university, place it among Africa’s top 10 and secure a position among the world’s top 500 universities.
Meanwhile, the university’s convocation activities, which began with a special Jumat service on October 16 and an interdenominational church service on October 18, will continue with a command performance of the convocation opera, The Death of the Crown’s Escort, on Tuesday, October 20.
The award of degrees to graduands of four-year programmes will take place on Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, while graduates of five- and six-year programmes will receive their degrees on Friday, October 23.
The convocation lecture, titled From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership, will be delivered on Friday, October 23, by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the university’s Visitor, is expected to commission completed projects on the campus on the same day, while the convocation luncheon and merit awards to deserving staff members will follow.
The ceremonies will end with a thanksgiving church service at St. Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy on Sunday, October 25.
The Vice-Chancellor appealed to guests and other participants to comply with the arrangements put in place for the ceremonies, noting that access to event venues would be strictly by invitation.
He expressed appreciation to the university’s academic and non-academic staff, students, parents, alumni, partners, regulatory agencies and Governing Council for their contributions to the institution’s development.
Egbewole urged the media to continue reporting the university’s activities accurately, describing its development as a collective effort that requires sustained collaboration and commitment.
He expressed confidence that the institution would build on its achievements, address outstanding challenges and continue preparing students for a changing world.
