Elizade University in Ilara Mokin, Ondo State, has announced a major academic achievement this week as 51 students earned first-class honors out of 484 graduates from its 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic sessions.
The institution Vice Chancellor, Professor Kayode Ijadunola, shared the announcement while discussing the upcoming convocation ceremonies.
“Across the two sessions of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, we shall be awarding 484 Bachelor’s degrees and 74 graduate degrees to candidates that have been trained, examined and found worthy, both in character and in learning, to be so admitted to the various degrees of the university,” Ijadunola said. The graduating students include 196 in the second-class upper category, 191 with second-class lower, and 46 in the third-class category.
In a show of the university’s growth, Professor Ijadunola highlighted the establishment of new postgraduate programs, particularly in engineering and law, along with the deployment of modern teaching equipment, new student facilities, and expanded collaborations with research partners locally and internationally. Recent approvals from the National Universities Commission (NUC) cleared the way for postgraduate programs in civil engineering, law, and architecture, slated to start in the upcoming 2024/2025 academic session.
However, the vice chancellor noted challenges faced by the institution, including the steep rise in energy costs and the impact of the “Japa” syndrome, the emigration trend affecting skilled professionals in Nigeria. He emphasized the rising burden of electricity costs under the Band A billing system, which, coupled with irregular power supply, has forced the university to rely on costly diesel generators.
“The greatest challenge facing most institutions of higher learning in Nigeria today is the cost of energy that has at least tripled in the last few months,” Ijadunola said. He further remarked that while the emigration of young professionals is impacting universities across the nation, Elizade University’s resilience and staff-friendly policies help it navigate these issues. “Our being able to stay afloat is only the product of our resilience and staff-friendly services,” he added, expressing hope for a future turnaround in Nigeria’s economic and professional landscape.
Elizade University’s convocation will also recognize two prominent Nigerian figures for their contributions to business and industry.
Mrs. Folorunso Alakija, a businesswoman, and Chief Tunde Afolabi, an oil and gas businessman, will receive honorary doctorates at the ceremony.
