Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has rewarded the two best graduating students of Lagos State University (LASU) with N20 million each.
The governor announced the cash gifts during the university’s 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremonies held at the institution.
The beneficiaries are Ayilara Olawale of the Department of Project Management, who emerged as the best graduating student for the 2024/2025 academic session with a 4.96 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, who finished top of the 2025/2026 session with a 4.97 CGPA.
Sanwo-Olu congratulated the graduates and described the 20,604 graduating students as the largest graduating cohort in the history of LASU.
The graduating class includes 494 First Class students and 3,383 postgraduate students, among them 238 PhD graduates.
The governor said the achievement demonstrated the university’s growing academic strength and capacity, urging the graduates to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during their studies to contribute meaningfully to society.
Olatunji-Bello Ends Five-Year Tenure
The convocation also marked the end of Prof. Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello’s five-year tenure as Vice-Chancellor of LASU.
In her final convocation address at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, Ojo, Olatunji-Bello outlined key achievements recorded under her administration.
She said her tenure positioned LASU as “the most subscribed university in Nigeria and the most digitally advanced among its peers.”
Olatunji-Bello, who assumed office in September 2021, said she was leaving behind a university of proven excellence after inheriting an institution with strong potential.
She identified financial sustainability as one of the major priorities of her administration, noting that the university’s internally generated revenue rose from N3 billion to N13 billion during her tenure.
According to her, the increase was driven by creative revenue-generation strategies, improved utilisation of the university’s internal capacity and the automation of financial processes to minimise leakages.
The outgoing vice-chancellor also disclosed that more than 50 infrastructure projects were completed during her tenure through funding from the Lagos State Government, the Federal Government, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), private donors and the university’s internally generated revenue.
She further cited a 96 per cent success rate in first-year accreditation exercises as one of the major accomplishments of her administration.
LASU Honours Dangote, Others
LASU also conferred honorary doctorate degrees on three prominent Nigerians during the convocation.
Business mogul Aliko Dangote was among the honourees and was represented at the ceremony by his daughter, Fatima Dangote.
The university recognised Dangote for his contributions to entrepreneurship, industrial development and human capital development.
Other recipients included Akin Kekere-Ekun, who was honoured for his contributions to entrepreneurship, finance and management, and Harriet-Ann Omobola Bola Adesola, former Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, who was recognised for her contributions to corporate finance and governance.
The combined convocation marked another significant milestone for LASU as thousands of students received their degrees and other academic qualifications.
