OAU Turns Out 182 First Class Graduates In Two Academic Sessions
About one hundred and eighty two students would bag First Class honours degrees at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife graduation ceremony where about 13,402 students are expected to bag degrees at the combined graduation ceremony of 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 sets of the institution.
The Chairman, University Ceremonials Committee, Professor Oluseye Bolaji who disclosed this at a pre-convocation press conference in OAU on Wednesday, said the graduands were drawn from all the faculties in the university.
He said that 2,925 students made second class upper, while 4,146 students graduated with second class lower division.
According to him, 1,088 passed out with third class and 60 graduates with ordinary pass degrees just as 790 students bagged unclassified degrees
Bolaji explained that 326 graduands would be conferred with postgraduate diplomas, 1,701 with professional Masters, 1,629 with Master by Research, 145 with Masters of Philosophy, while 410 would be conferred with Doctors of Philosophy degrees.
Enunciating some of the activities line up for the 43rd convocation, Bolaji said the convocation lecture will be delivered by a retired Professor of History and Second Republic Senator, Professor Banjo Akintoye who will be speaking on the topic “University Education in Nigeria: Revisiting the Ife Dream”
He said apart from the convocation lectures, an Exhibition of research activities being carried out in the faculties and units of the university will be unveiled, adding that the ceremony for the award of non-degree Diplomas will take place in the Department of Local Government Studies at 1:00pm.
This year convocation will involve conferment of degrees to graduands of the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic sessions. Thus there will be two sessions per day
“On Wednesday, 12th December, 2018, the conferment of First degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas and Higher (Master’s ) degrees in the faculties of Administration and Arts will take place in Oduduwa Hall Amphitheater at 9:00am.”
“On the same day and same venue, graduands of law , Education and Social Science will be conferred with their degrees at 1:00pm.”
“Similarly, graduands in the faculties of Agriculture, Environmental Design and Management, Basic Medical Sciences , Clinical Sciences , Dentistry and Pharmacist would be conferred with their degrees on Thursday 13th December, 2018 at 9:00am.”
“While those in the faculties of Science and technology would receive their degrees at 1:00pm, the venue would be Oduduwa Hall Amphitheatre.”
“The grand finale comes upon on Friday, the 14th of December, 2018, with the conferment of Master of Philosophy, Doctors of Philosophy and Honourary Degrees .”
“The Honourary graduand this year is a distinguished Nigerian academic and radical, intellectual activist, Professor Biodun Jeyifo , a Professor Emeritus in the English Department at Cornell University , Ithaca , USA and, currently , a Professor of Comparative Literature/African and American Studies at Harvard University, Boston, USA. He will receive Degree of Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) Honoris causa for his outstanding intellectual and academic achievements.”
“Professor Bolaji however, hinted that one of the graduands, Arinola Olaiya, is the first students , in 28 years , to graduate with Distinction (with Honours) from the Faculty of Clinical Sciences.
He said , she obtained a total of twelve distinctions in the courses , adding that she deserved to be celebrated.
