Gbajabiamila to deliver UNILAG 52nd convocation lecture as university graduates 12, 217 students

• spent about N1.4bn on electric bills last year

  The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, will deliver the 52nd convocation lecture of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka coming up next Monday, January 17, with a total of 12, 217 students from both undergraduate and postgraduate studies graduating.

He is to speak on “Building Back Better: Creating a New Framework for Tertiary Education in Nigeria in the 21st Century” even as the Hon Justice Amina Adamu Augie of the Supreme Court will chair the event.

The vice-chancellor of UNILAG, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, gave the hint on Tuesday at a pre-convocation press conference held at the University Senate Chamber.

He said the convocation ceremony for the 2019\2020 graduating set with lots of activities in the pipeline would feature awards of first degrees, diplomas, certificates and prizes to graduating students across departments between Tuesday 18 and Thursday 20 holding in two sessions, morning and afternoon.

Giving statistics, he said a total of 7,799 would graduate with first degrees and 238 of them with first-class honour and with the faculty of engineering leading the pack with 63 students while 4,418 would receive postgraduate degrees with a 68- year-old woman graduating as a PhD holder and the oldest in the set

Prof Oluwatoyin, who said the convocation ceremony would be the last for him as vice-chancellor of UNILAG having already spent four years and two months out of his five-year single term named Ekeoseye Elizabeth Osereme of the Department of Zoology (Environmental Toxicology and Conservation Option) with a CGPA of 4.95 out of possible 5.00 points as the overall best graduating student at the first-degree level while Umudu Joy Chinyere who obtained her PhD in Mathematics (Pure), as well as Ehiorobo Osa Abraham who obtained his PhD in Management, would graduate with the best PhD. Thesis overall and in humanities, respectively.

He explained that the university is continued to record better results each year due to the improved commitment of students and lecturers and other university workers, adding that all the graduands had been thoroughly baked in knowledge and character.

On electricity, the vice-chancellor said the university spent about N1.4 billion in the last one year on electricity supply to the university community.

He said the bill was huge and that the university is already working out an alternative source of power to reduce the cost of electricity in the university.