By Adebola Muili
Lagos State Governor and Visitor to Lagos State University (LASU), Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has rewarded the best graduating students of the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions with cash gifts of N20 million each.
The beneficiaries are Ayilara Lawal Olawale, who emerged the best graduating student for the 2024/2025 session with a 4.96 CGPA in Project Management Technology, and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide, who graduated with a 4.97 CGPA in Aerospace Engineering for the 2025/2026 session.
Sanwo-Olu announced the rewards on Wednesday at LASU’s 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremonies held at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, Main Campus, Ojo.
A total of 20,604 graduands were conferred with various degrees and certificates at the ceremony, which also featured the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees on distinguished Nigerians, including business magnate Aliko Dangote, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Akin Kekere-Ekun, and banker Bola Adesola.
The Governor charged the graduands to be worthy ambassadors of LASU, Lagos State and Nigeria, urging them to deploy their knowledge, character and courage to solve problems and contribute meaningfully to society.
Sanwo-Olu, who described the ceremony as his sixth and final convocation as Visitor to LASU, said the occasion marked both a celebration of the university’s achievements and his farewell to the institution.
He urged the graduands to remain resilient, recalling the sacrifices many had made to complete their education.
“Your certificates are not merely earned; they are testimonies. When you rise today, rise for every version of yourself that wanted to quit and did not,” he said.
The Governor also charged them to expand the frontiers of knowledge and mentor those coming behind them, stressing that scholarship should remain in the service of human progress.
Reflecting on LASU’s growth, Sanwo-Olu said the university, established more than four decades ago during the administration of the late Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande to make university education accessible to Lagos residents, had grown into a major institution with significant achievements in student demand, research and global rankings.
According to him, LASU was the most subscribed university in Nigeria in 2025 and 2026, with more than 84,000 prospective students choosing it as their first choice in each of the two years.
He also said Times Higher Education had ranked LASU as the best state university and fourth-best university overall in Nigeria, while the institution was rated the best university in West Africa on the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking for four consecutive years, from 2022 to 2025.
Sanwo-Olu further disclosed that LASU had been selected as the sole South-West host of the TETFund N3 billion Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cyber Sciences.
He highlighted infrastructure projects undertaken by his administration at the university, including the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Library Complex, student union building, additional student accommodation, lecture theatres and halls.
The Governor described the library complex as the largest university library in West Africa, noting that students had nicknamed it the “Theatre of Dreams.”
He said his administration had also expanded access to tertiary education by increasing the number of state-owned universities from one to three, with another specialised university for medicine and health sciences in the pipeline.
Sanwo-Olu called on corporate organisations, alumni and philanthropists to support LASU through endowments, research funding, scholarships and infrastructure development.
“Endow a chair. Fund a laboratory. Sponsor a scholar. Few investments on this earth pay dividends for as long as a mind that has been set free,” he said.
The Governor commended the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, for her contributions to the growth and visibility of the university during her five-year tenure.
He noted that the convocation was also her final ceremony in office, describing her appointment in 2021 as one of the finest decisions of his administration.
“Under your watch, this University became the most sought-after in Nigeria and the pride of West Africa. You did not merely manage LASU, Madam. You lifted her,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The university also conferred the rank of Distinguished Professor on Olatunji-Bello and Prof. Rafiu Olaoluwa Okuneye in recognition of their contributions to scholarship, research and mentorship.
Speaking earlier, the Chancellor of LASU, Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, who presided over his first convocation ceremony, commended the Lagos State Government for its investment in education.
He urged the graduands to become creators of solutions rather than mere consumers of knowledge.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr Babatunde Ogala (SAN), stressed the importance of research, innovation and technology in strengthening the university’s global competitiveness.
In her farewell address, Olatunji-Bello presented a five-year scorecard of her administration, highlighting achievements in academic expansion, research, digital transformation, infrastructure development, financial sustainability and human capital development.
She disclosed that LASU secured research grants, expanded academic programmes, improved accreditation outcomes, increased digital services and completed more than 50 infrastructure projects during her tenure.
According to her, the university’s Internally Generated Revenue rose from about N3 billion in 2021 to N13 billion in 2025, while student welfare initiatives, scholarships and accommodation were also expanded.
Meanwhile, Dangote, represented at the ceremony by his daughter, Fatimah Dangote, announced that first-class engineering graduates of LASU would be offered employment opportunities in the Dangote Group after completing their National Youth Service Corps programme.
The announcement adds an employment opportunity to the recognition accorded outstanding LASU graduates at the convocation.
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