The University of Ilorin has graduated 10,922 students of 2019/2020 academic sessions out of which 180 obtained first-class honours.
Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, disclosed this in Ilorin on Monday during a press briefing making the beginning of the 36 convocation ceremonies.
Age noted that out the graduands, 9,338 were First Degree/Diploma, while the remaining 1,584 graduated with Higher Degrees/Postgraduate Diploma.
The VC said that the University produced 180 First Class; 2,836 Second Class Upper Division, while 4,879 graduated with Second Class Lower Division. 1,110 have Third Class and 14 students graduated with Pass.
According to the VC, “We also have 140 MB; BS graduands, 46 graduands in Nursing, 5 graduands with Distinction and 16 with Pass in Optometry, 6 graduands with Distinction and 49 with Pass in Pharmacy while we have 37 graduands in Veterinary Medicine.
“Furthermore, a total of 20 graduands are obtaining Diploma from the Institute of Education. For emphasis, the total number of higher degrees to be awarded at this occasion is 1,584. This figure comprises 142 Postgraduate Diplomas, 1142 Masters from various Faculties, 113 MBA/MPA/MILR/MGIS/MPH/MHPM and 187 PhDs.
“The 2019/2020 session was also special because we had 2,766 students from our affiliated institutions that completed their programmes and will be awarded Postgraduate Diplomas after going through our rigorous and high standard of academic excellence as well as our stringent quality control mechanisms. Another 84 students from institutions affiliated with us are also being awarded Diploma degrees in various disciplines,” he added.
Speaking further, Age said that the University’s 4th Strategic Plan, which has been the major roadmap and visionary initiative of his administration, is aimed at propelling the University of Ilorin to an exceptionally high altitude of excellence.
He added that the goal that he has been vigorously pursuing in the last four years is enhancing the status and ranking of the University as an international center of excellence for learning, research, probity and service to humanity.
According to him, “I have been passionately driving this University on a course of becoming more reputable for research outputs that can change the world. With the Unilorin Team, we have been collectively and conscientiously transforming the University into an academic hub of discovery, learning and innovation.
‘We have, indeed, launched the University into the orbit or new era of excellence in university education in Nigeria. The evidence of the giant strides we have made in respect of all these goals is clear and unquestionable.
“Thus, despite its challenges, the 2019/2020 academic session was again an eventful and fulfilling year — in all ramifications of academic excellence. In this academic session, we consolidated on our past achievements and glories in research, teaching and community services while we solidly enhanced our commitment to stamp our name on global epitaph of academic excellence and reputation.
“We were gratified to win the 2019/2020 JAMB’s pioneer award for ‘The Most Subscribed University’ with a cash prize of Seventy-Five Million Naira (N75,000,000.00). The University also bagged the JAMB’s award for the University that admitted the highest number of foreign students for the 2019/2020 academic session and was thereby awarded another cash prize of Seventy-Five Million Naira (N75,000,000.00) ; making a total of One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N150,000,000.00) that our University got from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) during the 2019/2020 academic session. Similarly, NUC’s 2020 ranking placed University of Ilorin as the second best in Nigeria after University of Lagos”, he said.The VC said further that despite economy meltdown, the University was able to execute new projects and renovated some facilities, which we will present to the Visitor on the Convocation Day.Among listed projects are, construction of extension of the Main Library, construction of Administrative Block for the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, construction of Surveying and Geo-Informatics Department, construction of the Faculty of Engineering 500-Seat Lecture Theater (ongoing), construction of Department of Chemical Engineering (ongoing) and construction of Carpentry Workshop and Paint Factory for Technical and Entrepreneurship Center among others.
“We are indeed consolidating our globalisation drives. To this end, we have been able to consummate academic linkages and collaborations with some prestigious foreign universities. For example, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National University of Science and Technology Pakistan, and had also renewed our MoU with the University and CSIR –IMMT Bhubaneshwar. Like I have earlier said, we won the JAMB’s award for the University that admitted the highest number of foreign students for the 2019/2020 academic session because we had intensified our international students’ enrolment.
“Currently, there are over three hundred and sixty-two (362) international students studying various courses at Language immersion, undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Ilorin. During the year, five international students from Cameroon who successfully completed their MB;BS programme were inducted into the Nigerian Medical Profession with two (2) of the students awarded best students in pre-Clinical and best in Physiology. This is to confirm the extent to which we have consolidated on our goal for globalisation and diversity among staff and students”, he said.
