AGF Fagbemi to deliver UNILORIN 39th Convocation lecture

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The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN), is scheduled to deliver the 39th Convocation Lecture at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) on Friday. The lecture is titled “Nurturing Democratic Values and Education for the Future of Nigeria.”

Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor AbdulWahab Egbewole (SAN) announced the details during a press briefing at the university’s multipurpose hall. The university will graduate 12,042 students from the 2022/23 academic session on Monday.

The VC specified the breakdown of graduates, revealing that 256 students will receive First Class honours in their first degrees. Additionally, 3,842 graduates will earn Second Class Upper, 6,178 Second Class Lower, 1,299 Third Class, and 62 Pass degrees.

The upcoming convocation will also feature graduates from various programs, including 124 students in Medicine (MB;BS), 64 in Nursing, 35 in Optometry, and 30 in Veterinary Medicine, with 18 achieving Distinction. In the Pharmacy programme, 85 students will graduate, along with 32 graduates in Physiotherapy.

The total number of Higher Degrees to be awarded during the convocation is 1,875, comprising 92 Postgraduate Diplomas, 1,280 Master’s degrees from various faculties, 179 Professional Master’s degrees, 1 MPhil, and 323 Ph.D. degrees.

The VC noted that the convocation ceremony is more than a celebration of academic achievements; it reflects the resilience, dedication, and hard work of both students and faculty. He stressed the university’s commitment to pursuing excellence in education.

The VC also discussed the institution’s academic research and collaborations, noting that the university received N1.7 billion from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), with N200 million allocated by the Senate for special research interventions in 2023 and 2024.

He expressed optimism that this funding will enhance support for researchers engaged in groundbreaking studies. The university has secured various grants from TETFund and international bodies, resulting in approximately 20 patents and innovations.

The university was recently recognized as the institution with the most patents by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. The Laboratory-to-Product (LABTOP) Centre at UNILORIN achieved second place at the inaugural Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTO) awards held in Abuja on January 31, 2024.

Several staff members and students are participating in a Distance Learning Programme at the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) in Geneva.

The VC also acknowledged staff achievements in research publishing, noting that the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is collaborating with researchers from the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) in Spain and Royal Holloway University of London in the UK on antimicrobial resistance solutions through a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) worth CAD 1.6 million.

Furthermore, a team from the Faculty of Agriculture secured second place in the Climate Risk Research Challenge, receiving an award of $3,500 during an event at the University of Ibadan. The faculty’s plant breeding program continues its partnership with ITA on soybean research development.

Lastly, two academic staff members participated in international training on CRISPR/Cas-mediated Genome Editing, organized by several research centers in Pakistan.