Image caption: The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kalilu
94 bag first-class as LAUTECH holds 17th convocation, SLT student emerges best
Lanre OKE
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The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, is set to graduate 11, 528 students during its 17th convocation ceremony, scheduled for Tuesday April 22, with 94 First Class degree holders among the graduates.
This was an highlight of a press conference by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, held Tuesday at the Council Chamber, A. M. Salau Senate Building,
According to Kalilu, the upcoming convocation will have graduates from 12 of the 13 faculties in the institution receiving their degrees.
The Vice-Chancellor said, “The University continues to run academic programmes in thirteen faculties, but the graduands this year are products of twelve faculties. A grand total of 11,528 graduands are graduating. Of this number, 8,102 graduands will be admitted to the bachelor’s degrees. Out of this figure, 94 graduands are in the First Class division, 2,086 graduands in the Second Class Upper division, 3,494 graduands in the Second Class Lower division, 756 graduands in the Third Class division and 12 in ordinary Pass. For the Nursing Science, 7 are in Distinction, 1741 are in Upper Credit, and 145 in Lower Credit. For Medicine and Surgery, there are 133 in the Pass category, which indicates a satisfactory level of success in the discipline, unlike in non-medical disciplines.”
Professor Kalilu also informing the occasion would be used to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the institution, named Adeladun Badirat Adeduntan of the Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.86, as the overall best graduating student.
He added that Adeladun Badirat who served as the chairperson of the Caretaker Committee of the Students Union for the 2023/2024 academic session.would be awarded the prize during the convocation on April 22.
Highlighting the recent achievements of the university Kalilu stated all their academic programmes had been accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other relevant professional bodies, adding, “Our six new regular academic programmes, namely: Theatre Arts, Psychology, Mass Communication, Linguistics, Yoruba and Political Science scaled through the Resource Verification of the National Universities Commission and have become fully operationalised. Similarly, the five new additions to the undergraduate programmes in the Open and Distance Learning namely: Cyber Security Science, Science Laboratory Technology, Transport Management, Crop Production and Soil Science, and Crop and Environmental Protection have equally become operationalised.”
He also disclosed the university has continued to internationalise its operations in research and staff and students exchange, listing some of such collaborations. “It has entered into collaboration with similar institutions across the globe, such as University of Kentucky, and University of Utah, United States of America, as well as the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Bayer Foundation of Germany that established the Humboldt Research Hub Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases in the University among several others.”
This is as he underlined, “The University has also initiated postgraduate students’ sponsorship programme in collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service on PhD in Medical Microbiology and Parasitology. PhD in Crop Protection, and Master of Technology in Biochemistry. The University also collaborates with the industry. It collaborates with LUSHY Agricultural Limited, Kajola, Oyo State on Green House Technology and Drone Farming.
“In research, our scholars are making significant breakthroughs. Twenty-three of our researchers severally won the TETFund for Institution Based Research for research in various fields. Two teams of researchers led by Professors J. A. Badmus and E. A. Adebayo won the National Research Fund respectively for Development of Indigenous Non-Caffeinated Herbal Leaves for Reduction of Non-communicable Diseases, and Production of Mushroom for Development of Novel Immune Booster. Similarly, the Form and Material Technology team led by Professor R. O. R. Kalilu has successfully developed stone ware ceramic glazes from horticulture and animal wastes and cullet.
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“In Sports, our athletes have been keeping the flag of the University flying. More than 200 of our athletes have variously won medals in different tournaments. In the 11th All Africa University Games (FASU) held in September 2024, of the 69 universities from all over Africa that participated in the games, LAUTECH came 11th with 4 Gold, 1 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals. Two of our athletes, Asimiyu Aminat Ajoke, a 500 Level student of Agricultural Science, and Oladimeji Abeeblahi Abiodun, a 400 Level student of Information System Science, have qualified to represent Nigeria in the World University Games (FISU) coming up in Germany in July 2025.
He enthused the university has persistently enjoyed good ranking locally and internationally and that it remains the best state university in Nigeria, “It is noteworthy that the University’s rating and ranking has been on continuous ascent since 2023. In 2025, in the Times Higher Education’s World University Ranking, it retains its position as the best state university in Nigeria. In a similar development, the 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Ranking (ISR), which assessed universities’ contributions to and engagement with interdisciplinary science, ranked LAUTECH second position nationally and within the 251-300 bracket globally,” while stressing the institution has a vision to be “among the top 100 universities globally. This is a tall ambition, but it is possible.”
In the face of this enviable vision amid surge in student population he admitted the need to “improve our infrastructure, introduce more technologies into our pedagogy and research systems, and internationalise our staff and students mix among other important and urgent steps required,” while appealing to various stakeholders for support.
The convocation ceremonies cum founder’s day anniversary would last a week featuring various events including the press conference, documentary on LAUTECH @35, commemorative tree planting, research fair and exhibition, and convocation play and cultural performance
Some other programmes lined up for the historic celebration are convocation lecture and alumni day, Jumat service, Church service, award of first degrees and prizes and award of postgraduate diplomas, and higher degrees.
