Principal Officers of the University of Ibadan (UI) joined family, friends and well-wishers to celebrate renowned academic, Dr. Gani Adeniran, as his daughter, Halimat Adepeju Adeniran, was officially conferred with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Law by the premier university.

The celebration highlighted not only a major academic accomplishment for Halimat but also the strong bonds within the University of Ibadan community, where academic success and shared humanity continue to be valued and celebrated.

The event was marked by warm tributes and a display of camaraderie by top management of the institution, including the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale; the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Peter Olapegba; the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Juwon Arotiba; the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships), Prof. Simisola Akintola; and the Registrar, Mr. Ganiyu Oke Saliu.

Their felicitation underscored the significance of the achievement, as well as the regard in which Dr. Adeniran, himself a respected figure within the academic community, is held.

In his remarks, Dr. Adeniran expressed profound appreciation to the university leadership and other distinguished guests who joined his family to celebrate the milestone.

He said: “We are appreciative of your presence at the occasion, aside from the cash gifts and prayerful support. When all is said and done, humanity indeed covers more than clothes. We remain grateful for these demonstrations of affection and love. May the things of joy never depart from your homes.”

It would be recalled that the premier university held its 77th Foundation Day Ceremony where over 400 candidates were awarded Doctor of Philosophy.

Speaking at the convocation, the VC, Adebowale, reiterated the university’s commitment to producing highly skilled graduates equipped to address national and global challenges.
“Our goal is to increase the number of PhD outputs every academic session while ensuring our undergraduate programmes remain cutting-edge and globally competitive,” the VC said.

Highlighting the university’s international standing, the VC emphasised that despite funding challenges faced by Nigerian universities, UI has maintained its leadership position. The latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026 placed UI as the best in Nigeria and in the 801–1000 global band among 2,191 universities across 115 countries.
“This achievement is a testament to the foresight, commitment, and hard work of successive administrations, our faculty, and staff,” he said.

Also, the VC said the Senate of the institution had approved the creation of two additional faculties: Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Computing.
“Also, approval was given for the Department of Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering in the Faculty of Technology. The university also presented and got NUC approval to start B. Sc. Social Work, and B. Ed. Educational Technology. Others are B. Sc. Ed. Computer Science and B. Eng. Biomedical Engineering in the 2025/2026 session,” Adebowale said.