Abiodun Nejo
Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado Ekiti has said that 49 students bagged first class honours among the 10,180 fresh graduates that will be officially released to the labour market by the institution on Friday.
EKSU Vice Chancellor, Prof Samuel Oye Bandele, said graduating students at the 23rd convocation of the institution billed for Friday and Saturday comprised 9796 first degree graduates and 384 post-graduate graduands.
Bandele, who spoke on Monday during the press briefing heralding the weeklong convocation activities, said the university, under his watch, had been growing in leaps and bounds in academics and extra-curricular activities.
The VC said: “Since I assumed duty on December 2, 2017 as the seventh VC, it has been a story of optimism, transformation and accomplishments in the university. These have been in line with my vision statement of “transparent pursuit of a 21st century globally acclaimed university that will excel in academics, research culture and moral value”.
He said that the university had begun a work study initiative “to assist indigent students and encourage entrepreneurship where students are engaged in both classroom study and part-time job for monthly stipends”.
Bandele said that the university within the last one year scored 100 per cent accreditation in 38 programmes, a feat which he described as “unprecedented in the 36 years of the institution’s history”.
To shore up the financial base of the institution, the VC said the institution had introduced new ventures and revived some old and former ones, saying: “EKSU Natural Table Water has become a household commodity to the extent that demands for it has overwhelmed capacity to supply, thus leading to construction of another annex to cater for the teeming population and market demands.
“The block making industry has commenced production on a very huge scale. Needless to say that the Faculty of Agriculture, in an enterprising fashion has begun sales of beef, pork, broilers and palm oil and to expand the business portfolios of the university, this is aside the consultancy services that the university renders,” the VC said.
According to Bandele, six eminently qualified Nigerians including some distinguished EKSU alumni will be conferred with honorary degrees during the convocation ceremonies for postgraduate degrees graduands on Saturday. They include the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi (Doctor of Public Administration, DPA); and former WAEC Registrar, Chief Alexander Ajay i (DPA).
Others are Executive Chairman of Corporate Affairs Commission, Mr Abiodun Adedapo (Doctor of Finance); Executive Director of Skye Bank, Dr Olasehinde Olatunji (DPA); Mr Israel Ovirih (Doctor of Finance); and Dr Falil Ayo Abina (Doctor of Economics).