At least 69 students graduated with first-class honours out of 310 from Abiola Ajimobi Technical University, located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ibadan.
Professor Adesola Ajayi, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, made this announcement during a pre-convocation press conference held at the institution on Thursday.
He highlighted that, in addition to their bachelor’s degrees in various programs across the university’s two faculties, all graduating students will receive two additional qualifications: a Diploma in French and a Certificate in Vocational Studies.
This initiative aims to equip graduates with the skills needed to tackle future challenges and to encourage them to become job creators rather than job seekers. The combined convocation ceremony for the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic sessions is scheduled for Friday.
Ajayi indicated that the graduates come from the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences as well as various engineering disciplines.
He explained that the 2022/2023 academic session alone saw 15 first-class honours graduates from the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, alongside 32 who graduated with second-class upper division, 12 with second-class lower division, and four with third-class honours. In the Faculty of Engineering, the breakdown included 32 students with second-class upper division, 12 with second-class lower division, and four with third-class honours for the 2022/2023 session. “For the 2022/2023 academic year, we had 15 first-class graduates in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, plus 17 from the Faculty of Engineering, totaling 32.
There were also 32 second-class upper in Science and 43 in Engineering, making 75 overall. In the 2022 cohort, there were 12 in Science and 16 in Engineering, totaling 28.
In the third-class category, there were 4 from Science and 2 from Engineering,” he detailed.Looking ahead to the 2023/2024 academic session, Ajayi noted that there are 13 first-class graduates in Science and 24 in Engineering, bringing their total to 37.
In the second-class upper division, 30 graduated in Science and 46 in Engineering, totaling 76.
The second-class lower division recorded 23 in Science and 20 in Engineering, amounting to 43, while the third-class category had 2 in Science and 9 in Engineering, totaling 11.
He also summarized the performance over the two years, revealing that the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences achieved a total of 28 first-class honours, while the Faculty of Engineering produced a total of 41 first-class graduates. Ajayi emphasized the importance of vocational training, stating that there is no turning back on this approach, as it is crucial for students’ future success.
He noted that every institution in Nigeria is now focusing on vocational training. “We want to strike a balance in our approach—turning out graduates who are not just skilled artisans but are also capable of identifying and seizing opportunities, leaving a meaningful impact in their communities,” he explained.
He also acknowledged the support of Governor Seyi Makinde, the institution’s visitor, for his approval of infrastructure initiatives that have greatly improved the university’s facilities, with over N1.4 billion invested in infrastructure development over the past year.
