…as Gbajabiamila, Fashola, others receive honorary doctorates
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has rewarded the best graduating student of Lagos State University (LASU), 23-year-old Miss Aminat Imoitesemeh Yusuf, with a cash prize of N10 million.
Sanwo-Olu gave the reward at the university’s 26th convocation held at its Ojo campus on Thursday. He personally gave Miss Yusuf N5 million and an additional N5 million prize from the Lagos State government.
Miss Yusuf, who studied Law, is LASU’s best graduating student of all time, recording a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.0 on a scale of 5.0, and was the school’s valedictorian at the convocation ceremony.
The 26th convocation ceremony also marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of LASU. During the event, former Lagos Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; and First Lady of Lagos, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees alongside seven eminent Nigerians.
Speaking during the ceremony, Governor Sanwo-Olu noted that LASU has been steadfast in its commitment to providing high quality graduates and skilled manpower to meet socio-economic needs of the state and the country, recording a catalogue of achievements and recognitions both locally and globally.
He commended the university’s leadership team led by the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, whom he described as “a competent, administration-savvy academic”, for maintaining uninterrupted academic sessions, and also for promoting research and teaching in line with global best standards.
“Attaining 40 years of excellence is no mean feat for a university that has uninterruptedly pursued rigorous academic research and teaching in line with global best standards,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“I congratulate the university for remaining steadfast in its commitment to the provision of a high standard of education which has produced highly skilled men and women over the years. This becomes more significant as the convocation coincides with the 40th anniversary of this great institution, which has continued to live up to the expectations of its founding fathers,” he said.
The governor also congratulated all the graduating students who made LASU as their institution of choice and have gone through a robust academic training.
“Today’s occasion is a milestone achievement in your career and a sacrifice, which demonstrates your eagerness to positively impact and contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of this great nation.
“I urge you all to be worthy ambassadors of this great citadel of learning, while also enjoining you to establish your resilience in the face of the challenges you will experience. I have absolute conviction that you will make us all proud,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said his administration was not unaware of the need to continually improve on quality benchmarks set by the university, assuring more support towards sustaining the standards and improving its academic profile in order to compete on a global stage.
He further pledged his commitment to the aspirations of the university’s founding fathers, promising more financial commitment to surpass the past gains and set a new narrative for the institution.
“It is important to note that, beyond churning out graduates from the university regularly, the essence of education is to meet societal needs,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“I charge the management to ensure that the school keeps its curriculum at par with best international standards and challenges students with fresh ideas. If all institutions adopt this, we can reverse the negative effect that the scourge of education tourism is having on our young ones and our development,” he said.
