The Chancellor of Dominion University, Ibadan, Oyo State, Bishop Taiwo Adelakun, has urged graduating students to shun corruption, uphold integrity and use their education to contribute to Nigeria’s development.

Adelakun gave the charge on Saturday at the university’s fourth convocation ceremony, where 140 students graduated, including 27 who earned First Class degrees.

Addressing the graduands, the chancellor urged them to remain disciplined, hardworking and committed to godly values, warning them against conduct that could undermine their character and tarnish their reputations.

“You must become the answer to Nigeria’s prayer and not a prayer point as the problem of the nation,” Adelakun said.

He urged the graduates to resist corruption, maintain high moral standards and demonstrate integrity in their personal and professional lives.

“Shun corruption in all its forms and never allow the pursuit of wealth, power or position to compromise your integrity.”

The chancellor also highlighted the university’s development over its seven years of operation, saying all its academic programmes had received full accreditation, while three were due for reaccreditation in 2026.

He noted that the graduating class, known as the Daystars, was the last in the university’s original sequence of graduating sets, following the Pacesetters, Lightbearers and Eagles.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jonah Akoun, said the university offered 16 academic programmes across its faculties and had a student population of 780 at the end of the 2025/2026 academic session.

He said the institution had continued to strengthen its academic and student-development initiatives through programmes such as work-study opportunities, research ethics measures and efforts to address sexual harassment.

Akoun also highlighted the university’s commitment to providing an environment that supports learning, research and students’ personal development.

“We are committed to building an institution where academic excellence, ethical conduct and personal development go hand in hand.”

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Pastor Dolapo Adelakun, congratulated the graduates and commended their parents, guardians and university staff for their contributions to the students’ achievements.

He urged the graduands to remain resilient, uphold integrity and apply the knowledge acquired at the university to address societal challenges.

The overall best graduating student, Nadia Rita Bayakly, of the Department of Mass Communication, recorded a perfect cumulative grade point average of 5.0 out of 5.0.

The university graduated 148 students in 2024 and 130 in 2025 before presenting 140 graduands at its 2026 convocation.